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    Home » Recipes » Dips

    December 30, 2014 43 Comments

    Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip

    11.0K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Guys, we did it. The last days of 2014 are here. Woot! Celebrate! Goodbye 2014, you have treated me well. Hello 2015, well, aren't you looking all shiny and new.

    Things that were awesome for me in 2014:

    • I became even more vegan. Becoming hyper-aware of animal testing, leather, wool, and any other nasty things I want to avoid. It takes a while to learn about all of these things, so I am feeling proud that I am more vegan than ever.
    • I got a shiny new Canon Rebel T3i which I have been learning how to use. Who knew I would get so excited about taking photos of food?
    • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken has been getting rather popular, (aww shucks) thanks guys. Spreading the delicious vegan word to more and more peeps every day.

    creamy-red-pepper-cashew-dip

    Things I am looking forward to in 2015:

    • Veganuary! The official month of veganism. Are you going to make this your new year resolution?
    • A new kitchen. There are some serious renovations going on at my house, and I am beyond excited to have an upgraded kitchen.
    • My best friend's wedding. I'm not referring to the movie, and I'm definitely not going to try to steal away the groom. (No offence Al.)
    • This Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip... all the time... must dip... so tasty.

    healthy-raw-vegan-nacho-dip

    What better way to bring in the new year, than with deliciously healthy recipes! This recipe is entirely whole, oil free, gluten free, raw - if you soak the cashews, and you consider cashews raw (there is some debate on this). AND it takes only 10 minutes to make! Just toss everything in a blender. Great for last minute company. Most importantly, it's darn tasty. Creamy, almost cheesy, nacho-like, yum. Great with tortilla chips or fresh cut veggies.

    raw-vegan-nacho-dip-ingredients

    Just toss everything into a blender. Blend, and....

    cheesy-vegan-nacho-dip-healthy

    Welcome to creamy deliciousness.

    red-pepper-cashew-dip-vegan

    You can heat it up in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn, or serve cold. Both ways are great.

    cheesy-vegan-raw-nacho-dip

    Print Recipe
    5 from 5 votes

    Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip

    Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip. A healthy, vegan, dairy free, whole, oil free, gluten free, raw AND takes only 10 minutes to make! Darn tasty, creamy, almost cheesy, nacho-like, yum.
    Course: Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine: American, Canadian
    ingredient tag: bell peppers
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 209kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked or boiled (see nots)
    • ½ - 1 cup non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond
    • ½ of a red pepper
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Add the raw cashews, ½ cup non-dairy milk, the red pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, chili powder, and salt to a blender. Combine until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed, and adding up to ½ cup more non-dairy milk as needed to reach desired consistency.  

    Notes

    To boil the cashews, add the cashews to a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until cashews are tender. Drain and rinse.
    To soak the cashews, put the cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water, soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 495IU | Vitamin C: 13.9mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2.6mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon Appetegan!

    Sam.

    « Rutabaga Gnocchi
    Top 10 Vegan Recipes of 2014 »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Miss. Vi says

      February 11, 2022 at 9:36 pm

      5 stars
      Great dip! Doesn’t taste like it isn’t dairy! Super impressed. I added a canned chipotle pepper and sauce and extra garlic.

      Reply
    2. Rachel Pingel says

      June 11, 2019 at 8:44 am

      Just wonder if the yeast is necessary? Really want to give this a try, but I lack that ingredient!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        June 24, 2019 at 2:37 pm

        It gives it a cheesy taste. You can omit it but it might lack a bit of oomph!

        Reply
    3. Abby says

      January 27, 2019 at 3:10 pm

      What if I dont have a red pepper... Is there a spice I can add? I want to try this right now but a winter storm is imminent so i don't want to hit the store :/

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 28, 2019 at 10:59 am

        You could alternatively use an orange or yellow bell pepper if you have those. Or some cooked mashed carrot might be nice too.

        Reply
    4. Rita says

      January 24, 2019 at 9:02 pm

      Mine also turned out runny/liquidy. I don’t think straining it will help. Any other suggestions?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 25, 2019 at 3:44 pm

        Oh no, sorry about that! I updated the recipe so that you should prevent this problem in the future. For your current dip, you could try letting some of the moister evaporate out by bringing it to a very low simmer in a pot on the stove. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    5. Kai says

      May 28, 2018 at 12:00 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Great recipe and great snack idea on this 3 day weekend.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 30, 2018 at 10:35 am

        Awesome! So happy you enjoyed 🙂

        Reply
    6. Stacey says

      October 19, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      What about heating the dip in the oven for a hot dip? Do you think that would turn out good or do something funky to it? I was also thinking of roasting the red pepper first. The first time I made this recipe I didn’t have a red pepper so I used chipotle chili powder. It was good! I have a cuisinart food processor and I wasn’t sure how long to blend it. It seemed like it was getting creamier the longer I went but I didn’t want it to turn. I feel like I could of gone longer though. Any tips?

      Yummy recipe, thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 20, 2017 at 5:20 pm

        Thanks Stacey! I don't think this dip would be great hot. I would opt for my Spinach and Artichoke Dip or Nacho Cheese for a hot dip. I usually blend the dip in my Blendtec which is a beast of a blender, so I would say it's safe to blend longer. It should be very smooth and creamy. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Joey says

      September 14, 2017 at 12:51 am

      5 stars
      Non-vegan chiming in here, delicious! Maybe it's just my taste from a usual meat palette, but I went heavier on the yeast, salt, chilli powder, and I used the whole red pepper and lemon-- it turned out very much like a queso dip and I'm very happy with it. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 14, 2017 at 9:12 am

        You're most welcome, Joey, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    8. ne-popolna says

      September 01, 2017 at 5:57 am

      5 stars
      Hey! Thank you for the amazing recipes! You are real inspiration!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 01, 2017 at 10:19 am

        You're most welcome 🙂

        Reply
    9. Jonelle says

      August 28, 2017 at 10:28 pm

      I'm just wondering what no dairy milk is best to use?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        August 29, 2017 at 10:08 am

        Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will do. My go-to's are soy or almond milk 🙂

        Reply
    10. Lin says

      January 14, 2017 at 8:17 am

      it looks so yummy! i live alone.. how long can it be kepted in the fridge^?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 14, 2017 at 11:27 am

        I think it would keep for about a week when kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. It makes a great sandwich spread as well. Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Marissa says

          July 13, 2017 at 3:43 pm

          Hi,

          I just made this and it came out very runny, how would you suggest to thicken it?

        • Sam Turnbull says

          July 14, 2017 at 9:29 am

          Hmmm, I've never had that happen before. Maybe drain it with cheesecloth?

    11. Ronna Staley says

      December 12, 2016 at 8:45 am

      Just wondering- why add yeast?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 12, 2016 at 10:03 am

        Nutritional yeast is not the same as the yeast used in bread. It has no rising properties and is often used for flavouring in vegan cooking as it has a nutty cheesy taste. Check out my Top Vegan Pantry Staples to learn more about it and other cool vegan flavourings 🙂

        Reply
    12. Allison says

      October 19, 2016 at 6:33 pm

      Hi there! Follower here!! I was curious if this by chance turns brown after a couple hours of being left out? I made a cashew cream ambrosia for a party one time and was mortified when the white looking cream quickly turned brown and looked very unappetizing. I definitely plan on making the spinach artichoke dip but would like to also maybe try this. Thanks in advance for any input!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 20, 2016 at 11:53 am

        Hi Allison,
        Ooof that sounds awful! I think this dip should be just fine... although it probably won't last that long anyways 😉

        Reply
    13. brenda says

      May 15, 2016 at 8:27 am

      I wonder how it would be as a salad dressing. Have you tried it?

      Reply
      • Sam says

        May 15, 2016 at 10:06 am

        It's very thick, so you would need to thin it out but I am sure it would be very tasty!

        Reply
    14. Jill says

      December 22, 2015 at 8:49 pm

      Could you use cashew butter as a substitute?

      Reply
      • Sam says

        December 23, 2015 at 10:01 am

        Hi Jill, no you can't. For cashew butter the cashews have been processed to the point where they release their oil. Here the cashews are softened and then whipped into a fluff. The resulting texture is totally different, and if you tried to substitute I don't think you would get very good results. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    15. Laura says

      December 08, 2015 at 6:46 pm

      Just made this - love it! I have a pretty decent blender but it's not the best that's out there so I have had to run it a couple minutes at a time and give it a break here and there. Letting my blender rest one more time before giving it one final spin. Everytime I taste it between blends it keeps getting better and better. We're having BBQ bean burritos for dinner (vegan of course) and I can't wait to use this as a "sour cream" on mine! Thanks for another winner 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam says

        December 09, 2015 at 11:06 am

        Yay! So happy you loved it Laura. Oh how yummy, I want to make burritos now, just so I can top them with this! Good idea!

        Reply
    16. suzi says

      July 09, 2015 at 1:12 pm

      this sounds like it would be perfect on warm pasta… yum!

      Reply
      • Sam says

        July 10, 2015 at 9:44 am

        Ooo I've never tried that! Sounds delish! If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out. 😀

        Reply
    17. Kate says

      April 30, 2015 at 11:45 pm

      this was SO delicious. Took dip to work, and co-workers DO NOT believe this is not made with sour cream and mayo. "It's too creamy!", "it's too smoothe", "It is NOT nuts---You're nuts!" I have eaten this as my paste sauce over kamut noodles, as a dip for my veggies, as a dip for my pretzels and enjoyed every bite. Thank you for this!

      Reply
      • Sam says

        May 01, 2015 at 8:42 am

        Hi Kate!
        Yay! So very happy you loved the recipe so much 😀
        I love giving vegan food to people who assume it should taste like cardboard, and then blowing them away! So fun! Thank you for coming back and leaving this lovely comment.
        Sam

        Reply
    18. Kathy Sturr says

      January 05, 2015 at 12:32 pm

      YUM!

      Reply
      • Samantha Turnbull says

        January 05, 2015 at 6:05 pm

        I know, right!?

        Reply
    19. Anonymous says

      January 01, 2015 at 3:51 pm

      Trying tonight with the hubby for our first ever vegan-appy night along with your Cauliflower Hot Things and our own Garlic Mushroom French Bread! Been loving all the things you post...you are definitely making this Vegan transition tastier AND easier than we thought it would be!! Thanks and blessings!!

      Reply
      • Brandalynn Ann says

        January 01, 2015 at 9:25 pm

        P.S. We made it, we ate it, we LOVED it!

        Reply
        • Samantha Turnbull says

          January 02, 2015 at 9:05 pm

          Yay!! So glad you loved it!

      • Samantha Turnbull says

        January 02, 2015 at 9:05 pm

        Ooo garlic mushroom french bread sounds divine!!! So happy you are finding the transition easy and tasty, and super happy that my recipes are helping! Comments like these make my day. 🙂

        Reply
    20. Meredith @ Unexpectedly Magnificent says

      December 31, 2014 at 9:19 am

      This looks delicious! I love red peppers, I love cashews, and I love dip. Win-win-win! 🙂

      Congrats on accomplishing so much this year! I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year.

      Reply
      • Samantha Turnbull says

        January 02, 2015 at 9:10 pm

        Thank you Meredith! And thank you more, I just noticed that you were the top commenter of the year! I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year as well 🙂

        Reply

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